Improvement in the cutters amd rakers of a grain and grass harvester



p chine.

W for vibrating the cutters, attachment for other parts and their arrangement, not differmachine relate to the cutters N, arresting-fin- D their faces that come together for the purpose Darren 4Sra-res HAZARD KNOVVLES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND HENRY C. BEVINGTON, OF HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO.A

IMPROVEMENT lN THE CUTTERS AND RAKERS OF A GRAIN AND GRASS HARVESTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,475, dated July 2, 1850.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HAZARD KNOWLES, of the city and county of Washington, and District of Columbia, and HENRY G. BEvINGToN, of the county of Holmes and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Machine for Reaping and Mowing,which is described asfollows, reference being had to the annexed drawings vof the same, making part of this specification.

Figure lis a top view or plan of the ma- Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe right side ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, looking toward the rear, taken through the dottedv plane a: r of Fig. l. Fig. et is a sectional view, showing the segment and pinion for steering the machine, also a section of the vibrating linger-bar. Fig. 5 is a view showing the front edge of the knives, bed-timber, and attachment of the crank and pitman to give the r'eciprocating sliding movement to the lower plate of knives. Fig. 6' is a sectional top view of the upper and lower cutting-plates (drawn half-size) of an operating machine. Fig. 7 is the same view inverted7 showing the Linder spring iange or portion of the upper plate of cutters turned under the lower plate and forming a bearing for the same. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the same. y

The same letters in the several figures of the drawings refer to like parts.

The supporting and conveying Wheels A, axles B, frame C, rotating rake f, gearing U drawing the machine forward, and several.

ing essentially from the same in other reaping and mowing machines in use,need no particular description.

The improvements that we have made in the gers O, cyma-reversa gavel-holders P, grain catcher and shield Q, steering apparatus G and J, and arresting hook-teeth o,and several other parts of the machine which will be pointed outhereinafter.

The cutters'N that cut the grain or hay are made like others in use for a similar purpose, except that the triangular teeth on the edges of the two steel plates are made concave on of rendering them selfsharpening on their cutting-edges as they wear. The upper steel plate is made stationary in the frame,and may be termed the counter-plate.7 Thelower plate is made to slide back and forth against the upper stationary plate by means' of crank-sh aft S and connecting pitman-rod T, attached to the under side of the lower cutter-plate N, motion being communicated to the crank-shaft in the usual manner by a'bevel-pinion, U, on the crank-shaft working into a bevelwheel,W, xed to the inner face of the propelling-wheel. The upper cutter-plate is wider than the lower plate, and is bent round the back of the latter and under it and turned up at right angles, and notched so as to form a number of bearing-points against the under side of the lower or sliding cutter-plate, the bent or curved portion forming a concave bearing for the backot' the lower plate, which is provided with a rib to stii'eu it, and is rounded to correspond with said concave bearing, in which it slides back and forth during the operation of reaping. The upper plate is thus bent for the purpose likewise of forming a spring to bear the lower cutter-plate against the upper plate and keep the cutting-edges of the points always in close contact and under a constantpressure toward each other.

X is a revolving bearer for bearing the grain back against the cutters, and when cut carrying it back to the endless aprons or belts c as the machine is moved forward. This revolving bearer is composed of anumber of bars, x, xed to two endless straps, V, passed over two parallel rollers, Y, whose bearin gs are in two curved arms, Z, fastened to the frame, one of said rollers being extended through and beyond one of the said curved arms, andV having on its outer end a pulley, a, around which is passed an endless band, b, leading to another pulley, 1,on the outer face of the left drivingwheel A, by which motion is communicated to the grain-bearer X.

c c c c c are ive endless revolving straps for conveying the grain, when ont, to the gavelngers at one side of the machine. These straps are passed around two parallel rollers, d' d', one of which is on the crank-axle S and the other is on an axle, c, having its bearings in the forward or turning portion of the frame,

so that when the machine is moved forward these bands are moved simultaneously with the cutters. These bands are placed parallel and at such distance apart that certain holdingteeth and gavelngers may pass up between them, and that loose .grain may fall into a me-V tallic grain-catcher `beneath the bands. This grain-catcher, which is marked Q in the drawings, is composed of a plate of metal, bent so as to form a shield as well as a receiver for the grain, and is secured to the forward part ofthe frame beneath theendless bands, so that it shall serve as a shield to protect them from hard substances that would have a tendency to injure the straps and obstruct the due4 operation of other parts of the machine, and at the same time catch whatever grain may be shaken from the heads. Itis divided bya parition, q, so as to form a receiver .directly under the cyma-reversa fingers upon which the cut grain is formed into gavels, which receive the greater portion of loose grain falling from the heads during the operation of collecting the straw into sheaves or gavels. The gavel-ngers P, for collecting the grail into gavcls or sheaves before being thrown off by the side of the machine, are composed of rods of iron, P, inserted into one of the parallel longitudinal timbers, I, of the frame, at right angles thereto, each rod being bent into the form of a cyma-reversa for the purpose of holding the grain un til asufcient quantity is collected thereon to form a gavel or sheaf, when it is removed therefrom by the revolving rake f. The rods or fingers P are placed in the chambers or grooves in the roller d', be-

tween the bands, parallel to each other, as

shown in Fig. l.

The revolving rakef, for throwing the gavels from thecyma-reversa n gers P, is com posed of a roller, r, into which are inserted a number of teeth, which, as the roller revolves, strike the bundle of grain or gavel and throw it from the lingers and deposit it upon the ground in proper order to be tied. Motion is.imparted to this roller by means of an endless band, g, crossed and passed around a pulley, h, on its axle, leading to another pulley, t', on the crankaxle S. As soon as a sufficient quantity of grain is collected on the cyma-reversa fingers P to form a sheafor gavel the grain on the endless bands c is prevented from passing from the bands by a number of vibrating hooks or claws, o, projecting from arock-shaft, m, and passing upward between the endless bands c and holding the grain back until the revolving rakef has discharged the gavel or sheaf from the lingers P. The bearin gs of the gudgeons or axle of'this roller is in the frame. As soon as the curved fin gers P have received a-suflcientquantity of grain to form a sheaf-a bent arm, l, inserted into the roller 1' of the rake, strikes upon the long arm of a lever, s, whose fulcrum is at t,

' and bears said arm down, and at the same time raises the short arm ofthe lever, which is in contact with a righ t-angled arm, u, inserted into apparatus.

ward the front part of the machine.

the roller m, causing it to turn and raise vthe hooks or claws o above the level of the apron andl catch the straw and hold it till the grain on the fingers P is removed. The roller 1" continung to revolve, the bent arm Z passes by the lever s, when the springj, projecting from the roller m and resting upon the timber I, brings back the several parts to their former positions, and the hooks or claws falling below the level of the aprons upon which the grain lies, and thus allows the grain to pass on to the curved lingers P until another gave] or shea-f is collected, when the bent arm again comes round and acts upon the lever, causing the hooks or claws to larrest the grain, asv before.

The fore part of the frame, which is attached to the forward axle-tree, and which contains all the operative parts of the machine, is made to turn in any direction by means of a steering The steering apparatus by which the cutters are turned to the right or to the left consists of a segment of a cog-wheel, G, fastened to the forward axle-tree, F, into which a pinion, H, gears, said pinion being turned by a vertical axle, J, whose bearing or box is in the forward part of the perch 19, which projects beyond the forward axle-tree, a plat-e, y', containing a number of handles for the steersman to lay hold of to turn the pinion-axle being affixed to the head ofthe axle J.' The connecting-bolt 2 of the fore axle-tree, with the perchp, forms the center on which the fore axle-tree, with the frame, turns when the pinion is turned. The frame is prevented from turning by a semicircular latch-plate, x, pivoted to the timbers I, said plate beingr notched in the lower edge so as to fall over the perch and hold the forward axle-tree from turning on its center. When it is required to turn the frame this latch-plate must be raised from the perch by a lever, w, or other means.

The horses to draw the machine are geared to. the whiflletree No. 3, with their heads to- The drivers seat is at No. 4.

Having thus described the nature of our invention and improvement, what we claim as new, and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent, is-

1. Making the pointed cutters N concave 011 the faces toward each other in the manner and for the purpose set forth, by which the cutters are rendered self-sharpening, and bendi-ng the upper plate over the back of the lower or sliding cutter-plate and bringing the notched or turned edge against the lower plate, in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. The arrangement of the stationary cymareversa fingers P in combination with the vibrating hook-teeth or claws o, bands c, and the appendages for operatin g the same, by which the grain is collected into sheaves or gavels before being discharged upon the ground.

3. The combination of the hook-teeth or claws 0, rock-shaft m, bent arm a, lever s,

springj, and revolving arm .l for arresting the In testimony whereof we have hereunto grain While removing the gevel or sheaf from signed our names before ,two subscribing witthe cyma-reversa fingers P onto the ground, nesses.

as described. HAZARD KNOWLES.

4. The combination of the pinion H, perch HENRY C. BEVINGTON. p, and axle F, the former working into the seg- Witnesses: menton the front axle-tree for steering the for- WM. P. ELLIOT, ward part Ot the frame and cutters. A. E. H. JOHNSON. 

